Mazama Hydrant Project

Firefighters Need "Big" Water to Protect Mazama

In order to fight fires effectively, firefighters need to fill a 3000-gallon water truck in five minutes or less. Right now, the nearest source of this high-volume flow is in Winthrop, 15 miles from the center of Mazama. This means a turnaround time of at least 30-45 minutes to get back to fight a fire here. In that short time, little fires can get very big and houses could be lost.

 

Your Fire District 6 (FD6) has located and tested a well near the Mazama Store that can meet this vital need. It would cut the turnaround time by half for fires between Weeman Bridge and Lost River Airport. The test was paid for with private donations from concerned citizens, including volunteer firefighters themselves, because, at this time, the District 6 budget is 100% committed to constructing a much-needed new fire station and training center in Winthrop.

 

Now that we have located a well, we need your help to finish the job. Our target date is May 2022, to be in time for the fire season. It will require a power hook-up, pumping equipment, and, if possible, a generator for fighting fire during power outages. THIS CAN BE DONE IF WE ALL ACT QUICKLY.

 

We already have commitments of partial support in private donations from FD6 Commissioners, firefighters, and community members. In addition to his cash contribution, a neighboring landowner has pledged to use his own funds to develop a helicopter filling facility in the adjoining field, something that Mazama has lacked in recent years. Now we need a serious commitment from the community we are trying to protect.

 

The project could cost up to $100,000.

 

If the cost seems high to you, just think how small it is in comparison to the values at risk: your homes and the community at large. We dodged a major bullet in 2021, when the Cedar Creek Fire came within a few hundred yards of incinerating hundreds of homes.

 

My name is Alan Fahnestock and I’m managing this project on behalf of Fire District 6. As a volunteer with FD 6 for nine years, I’ve fought too many major wildfires to list, as well as dozens of structure fires. I will be very happy to speak with anyone and everyone about this project, its details and its importance. Please contact me at fahnestockalan_at_gmail.com.

 

All donations through GoFundMe will go to the Mazama Fire Department Association, to be contributed to Okanogan County Fire District #6 for this project. The Fire District, as a governmental agency, is unable to accept GoFundMe contributions directly.  The Fire District CAN accept checks directly, payable to "Okanogan County Fire District #6", with "Mazama Hydrant" in the memo line, and sent via USPS to Alan Fahnestock, 11 Bitterbrush Road, Winthrop, WA 98862. Donations by check will qualify for tax exemption, with documentation to this effect to be issued.